Penn State men’s hockey set to begin Big Ten Tournament play against Ohio State

The end of the season begins Friday night for the Penn State men’s hockey team — and that end could ultimately come as soon as Saturday, or it might stretch to Sunday and beyond.

No matter when it ends, coach Guy Gadowsky has been happy with what has happened.

“This has actually been a really, really valuable season,” Gadowsky said, emphasizing the team was able “to get back to things that matter.”

He believes the search for “an improved culture” has been productive — and more important than the team’s record, which stood at 6-1, including a victory over No. 6 North Dakota, by the end of October. There have been nine victories in the subsequent four months.

The start of the Big Ten Tournament matters most in the near term, and Penn State has a chance to extend its season depending on how it does in a three-game series against 12th-ranked Ohio State in Columbus.

A long run through the playoffs might be surprising, but Gadowsky remains upbeat because of the team’s approach and demeanor compared to last season.

“I love my job, this year,” Gadowsky said. “Last year was really the first year I worked in 25 years.”

Penn State earned the fifth seed in this year’s tournament, with fourth seed Ohio State getting the opportunity to host.

Penn State will again be without sophomore forward Chase McLane, who will miss the rest of the season with a lower-body injury. Also, senior defenseman Clayton Phillips missed the second of the team’s two games last week at Michigan State. If his absence extends to this series, that will present an additional challenge.

Still, Gadowsky — whose father, two sisters and grandmother are teachers — embraces his role as a teacher. He believes in-person practices allowed the staff to make a meaningful impact on the program that could last to this series and beyond. He also believes his efforts and role matter more in practice than in games if he’s doing his job well and instilling good habits for his players.

“When we weren’t able to teach in person the effect that it had, the magnitude, was greater than I had ever thought,” he said. “Getting back to that was why this season was valuable. This opportunity, it was a great learning experience.”

Ohio State was 3-0-1 vs. Penn State during the regular season, winning both games in Columbus in early November by scores of 5-2 and 4-1. The teams have met twice before in the Big Ten Tournament, with each team winning once.

Penn State (15-18-1) at Ohio State (21-11-2)

Series: 7 p.m. Friday, 7 p.m. Saturday and 8 p.m. Sunday (if necessary)

Radio/TV: 103.1 FM and GoPSUsports.com

Notable: Ohio State freshman Jakub Dobeš was named last week as one of 11 national semifinalists for the Mike Richter Award, presented annually to the top goalie in Division I. … Georgii Markulov (32 points) and Mason Lohrei (29) lead OSU offensively while Kevin Wall (28) and Connor MacEachern (25) do the same for Penn State. … Ohio State has the least-productive power play in the conference, converting 18 of 113 (.159) opportunities.